"My classmates are nice to me and very helpful."

Why EDCC? I chose EDCC because my friend who is also from Thailand goes to EDCC too, and I
have heard a lot of interesting things about it.

Best experiences in class? Encountering people with different nationalities in class is a really great experience.
Getting to know them and learning a little bit about different cultures is fun.

Best experiences outside of class? Spending time with my friends and doing fun stuff with them.

Classmates?

My classmates are very nice to me and very helpful.

Teachers? They teach very well and at the same time are very friendly and understanding to
students.

What's next?

Finish my high school completion and enroll in the University of Washington and take
international business as my major and try to graduate as soon as possible.

Dream job in the future? Be a CEO of one of the biggest companies in my home country, Thailand.

"I met a lot of friends from different cultures."

Munkhdalai Munkhbar

Mongolia

Why Edmonds CC?

Because of the environment and air. Seattle has fresh air and is located between
mountains and forests. I also heard Edmonds CC has good education, the number 2 school
in the area.

Best experiences in class?

I have learned from my ESL classes about right studying and American education style.
Also, I started to not be shy when I'm speaking in English in class.

Best experiences outside of class?

I met a lot of friends from different cultures and I proved to myself that I can
speak and understand English better. Moreover, I have learned how to communicate
and respect people from other countries. Also, I have learned about culture shock.

Classmates?

My classmates are very friendly and there is no other Mongolian speaker. It’s good
for me.

Teachers?

The teachers are great and they always want to help us.

What’s next?

I’m going to college.

Dream job in the future?

My dream job is to be an engineer, maybe a construction engineer or a mechanical engineer.

"My teachers are fabulous."

Hamado Koudougou Burkina Faso (West Africa)

Why Edmonds CC? Before I made my final choice for Edmonds CC, I looked at other school’s websites,
and Edmonds CC fits my needs. In Edmonds CC I can improve my English with the ESL
Progam before I go to the college. Thanks to my friends and relatives' help, I finally
make my choice of Edmonds CC.

Best experiences in class? My best experiences in class were the relationships between teachers and students.
The teachers explained the lessons well, any questions can be asked by students, and
the schedule wasn't too busy. Students can be relaxed and do their homework.

Best experiences outside of class? Outside of class, many activities are planned for international students. Edmonds
CC organizes every year International Night. It's an opportunity for each student
to show his culture. The library is always available on weekends for the students
who want to do their homework,or check e-mail on the computers.

Classmates? My classmates are great. We talk always our countries and our ideas about many things.
They are friendly.

Teachers? My teachers are fabulous. They sometimes joke with us and always answer all our
questions. Sometimes when I'm not happy or I have any problems, they give me advice
and encourage me not to be shy. They are my parents in the U.S.A.

What's next? I plan to go to the college at Edmonds CC.

Dream job in the future? I hope to be a manager for an international company.

"My experience here will help me in my career."

Sami Al Suhaibnai

Saudi Arabia

Why Edmonds CC?

My friends told me that Washington is a good and interesting place to study. My friends
helped me search the internet about a college or institute. I chose Edmonds CC. I
emailed Edmonds CC, and I found a good response from International Student Services.
They helped me complete my registration for the IESL program.

Best experiences in class?

I have had writing, grammar, reading, and speaking/listening classes. Actually, I
have had a variety of experiences. All of the classes have given me much vocabulary.
They have also taught me how to understand native speakers. In addition, I have learned
about how to write very well, and I’ve improved my writing a lot.

Best experiences outside class?

I have new friends from many countries, so l have become familiar with many other
cultures. Also, Edmonds CC organizes many events, activities, and trips. These events
and trips help us through sharing with other international students.

Classmates?

I study with international students from different countries and different cultures.
We learn to respect and appreciate each other and we work together well.

Teachers?

The teachers have good experiences. They are friendly and helpful. They have knowledge
of international students’ cultures and languages. Many of them have lived and worked
in other countries. They understand both how to teach English and what it’s like
to go through culture shock. They help me both inside and outside of the class.

What's next?

I am going to go back to my country, my work, and my family. My experience here will
help me in my career. When I have the right opportunity, I hope to bring my family
here to visit. And, who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to study for my master’s degree
in the USA again.

"I want to be an English teacher in Japan."

Best experiences in class? When I couldn’t understand in class, the teacher and friends helped me. Then I felt
happy.

Best experiences outside of class? My host mother likes to cook. I often helped her and we made many kinds of food
together.

Classmates? My classmates are all international students, so we can study together in a similar
level. Sometimes they teach me English, but sometimes I teach them. We help each
other every day. I like them very much.

Teachers? They are kind, gentle, and friendly.

What’s next? First I have to go back to Japan and graduate from my college. After that, I want
to come back and continue to study English.

"I'll major in either accounting or hospitality, or both."

Chi Hong (Willam) Cho Macau

Why Edmonds CC? Initially, I didn't have any idea to choose a school in the USA, so I only followed
someone's suggestion and the ideas of my parents.

Best experiences in class? I thought the class atmosphere was great. All of the teachers spent time creating
a fun and relaxing ambience. The small class size absolutely gave me enough time to
ask questions and digest the information that I learned.

Best experiences outside of class? Going to Chinatown, Outlet Mall and downtown Seattle during the weekend.

Classmates? Even though all the students in class came from different countries like Thailand,
Russia and Vietnam (like the United Nations), they treated me as their friends.

Teachers? The teachers are great and they concentrate on our needs and problems.

What's next? Work on my college courses. I'll major in either accounting or hospitality, or both
of them!

Dream job in the future? I'd like to be an office administrator in a hotel.

"Edmonds CC has great programs for international students."

Benjamin Bernard-Luneau

France

Why Edmonds CC? I chose Edmonds Community College because I really appreciate Washington State. Moreover,
Edmonds CC has great programs for international students.

Best experiences in class? I had a lot of good experiences in class such as Halloween day and Thanksgiving day.
However, my best experience was during Earth Day because I represented my country
in front of ESL students.

est experiences outside of class? Outside of class, I had many good experiences, but the best was all the people I
met.

Classmates? My classmates were all good. I met good friends and most of them are still my friends
even if they left the USA.

Teachers? The teachers are just excellent.

What's next? I am actually enrolled in Edmonds CC, and I am pursuing a transfer degree to go to
a university.

"Teamwork and games are always fun."

Why Edmonds CC? One of my friends since high school who studied for two quarters at Edmonds CC recommended
it to me.

Best experiences in class? Team work and games are always fun, and I could know my classmates better. Some of
them have become my close friends now.

Best experiences outside of class? Studying with friends in the library after school, which could let us study and know
each other both better. Going out with friends on weekends, such as Alderwood Mall,
downtown Seattle, Chinatown, outlets, or parties at friends' houses, etc. Moreover,
I traveled with friends to California and Las Vegas one time.

Classmates? Mostly they are friendly and polite. Studying with students who came from every corner
of the world is interesting.

Teachers? Some teachers are really good; I totally enjoy learning in their classes.

What’s next? I’ll go back to Taiwan. I may apply to the USA for a master’s degree and then study
in the USA again, or find a job and work in Taiwan.

Dream job in the future? Any job about marketing and advertising is fine.

" It's exciting when I met friends from other countries."

Aourolia Kristianti

Indonesia

Why Edmonds CC? I saw the seminar of EDCC in my country. I was impressed and felt interested about
it. Also, I saw the EDCC website and learned more about the facilities, ESL program
and college. After that, I was sure EDCC is the best place for me to study.

Best experiences in class? We have so much fun in grammar class. The teacher does a little bit of fun explanation,
so we didn't get bored so easily and we do a lot of practices to improve our English.

Best experiences outside of class? It's easy to take the buses here. I went to downtown Seattle and Bellevue and went
to many interesting places.

Classmates? It's exciting when I met friends from other countries and learn about their cultures,
and also learn English with them. My classmates are very nice and friendly. They
helped me when I had trouble with studies.

Teachers? All of the teachers in each class have different kinds of teaching and I like the
way they teach us. It's refreshing and fun. We understand whenever they explain
something and it's very clear explanation.

What’s next? I want to go to college and take the best major that fits me.

Dream job?

I want to work at fashion company because I like to design and make my own fashion
company some day.

"My experiences have been really good."

Why Edmonds CC? I chose Edmonds CC because many friends said to me that it was a good college, with
a good baseball team.

Best class experiences? My best experiences in class were when I started to meet people from different parts
of the world.

Best experiences outside of class? My experiences here at this college have been really good because everyone has wanted
to help me and I've appreciated that a lot, and also when I started to practice with
the Edmonds CC baseball team.

Classmates? My classmates are really good because I've learned about different cultures and how
they live in their countries. Nobody speak Spanish, and that's good for me.

Teachers? The teachers are great with me. They always want to help me every time that I have
a question or if I need their help.

What's next? After I finish ESL, I'm going to study my major at Edmonds CC and after that I would
like to move to Florida and study at UCF (University of Central Florida).

"I hope to be a network security specialist and to work at Microsoft or another big
company."

Jihyun Kim South Korea

Why Edmonds CC? I have a plan to transfer to a university. I knew many Edmonds CC students have been
transferring to college or a university through Edmonds CC, so I chose Edmonds Community
College.

Best Experiences? The structured ESL program, with writing, grammar, reading, and speaking/listening
classes, was of use for me. Especially, writing class made me write English naturally
and systemically.

Classmates? I met many international students and had good experience learning their culture.

Future Education? I'd like to learn about computers. There are many kinds of fields in learning about
computers, but I want to study about Computer Information System.

Dream Job? I hope to be a network security specialist and to work at Microsoft or another big
company.

“Studying ESL has been a rewarding experience.”

Yasemin Canpolat

Turkey

Why Edmonds CC? From the beginning, I was made to feel welcome, as the instructors and advisers
have always shown understanding and support, exhibiting a genuine care and concern
for us, the international students.

Before Edmonds CC? I’d previously completed my bachelor’s degree in Turkey and have been employed as
an accountant for the past eight years.

Why ESL? Becoming more proficient in English was extremely important, particularly in my
role, dealing extensively with international accounts.

Why now? I’d always planned and dreamed of investing in my future success by coming to America
to further my English language training.

Best college experience? The opportunity to participate in many of the entertainment and cultural activities
available to students on campus. Not only have I learned much academically, it has
also been wonderful exposure to life in the United States and the collegiate atmosphere,
while making friends from all over the world.

What’s next? continuing my education by pursuing an accounting certificate, learning even more
about U.S. business.

“I had a good time learning English with friends.”

Why Edmonds CC? I emailed several colleges in Seattle with easy questions, and Edmonds CC gave
me an answer first, so I decided to come here.

Why Seattle? The Seattle Mariners. They have had some famous Japanese baseball players (currently
Ichiro Suzuki and Kenji Johjima play on the team).

How are the instructors? The Edmonds ESL teachers know how to teach English for international students,
so I understood their lectures easily. Also, my classmates helped me a lot.

Best college experience? I joined many activities with International Student Services: trips to watch baseball
games and play in a soccer tournament.

After ESL? I studied business management at the college.

What’s next? I would like to work in the United States for a year.

(Note: After finishing a Business Management certificate at Edmonds CC, Hajime did
his practical work experience for the Seattle Mariner's team giving tours to Japanese
tourists and working at the team store at Safeco field. Hajime was also a correspondent
for a Japanese sports news company, Tokyou sports. He is currently working for the
Texas Rangers major league baseball organization.)